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Potential for nuclear explosion grows
Apr. 2, 1979
Harrisburg, Pa. - Federal officials
said Saturday night that the gas
bubble inside the crippled nuclear
reactor at Three Mile Island is show
ing signs of becoming potentially
explosive, complicating decisions on
whether to mount risky operations to
remove the gas.
Officials said earlier that tens of
thousands of people might have to be
evacuated if engineers decided to try
to remove the bubble, operations that
could risk a meltdown of the reactor
and the release of highly radioactive
materials into the atmosphere.
But the Nuclear Regulatory Com
mission said Saturdav night that it
might be equally risky not to try the
operation, because the bubble
showed signs of gradually turning
into a potentially explosive mixture
that could wreck the already dam
aged reactor.
An explosion could release radio
active materials into the atmosphere
or at worst, cause the reactor core tc
melt, releasing even greater radioac
tivity.
Metropolitan Edison Co., operatoi
of the plant, said company expert'
were checking on the report.
NRC Chairman Joseph M. Hen
drie said earlier at a news conference
n
in Washington that the evacuation ot
citizens within 10 to 20 miles down
wind of the power plant was “cer
tainly a possibility” as a precaution if
technicians tried to force the bubble
out of the reactor.
With low-level radioactive gases
still beaming from the plant, Gov.
Dick Thornburgh extended his advi
sory that pre-school children and
pregnant women stay at least five
miles from the plant. Experts have
cited the vulnerability of fetuses and
young children to radiation.
About 131,000 people live within
five miles of the plant, and 250,000
live within 10 miles. Nearly 1 million
people live in me lour counties
around the site.
An insurance company spokes
man said that for the first time in U.S.
history a claims office has been
opened to handle damages from a
nuclear accident.
Sex Pistols breakup
Jan.20,1978
Johnny Rotten, lead singer of the
punk rock Sex Pistols, has announced
the break-up of the band.
Rotten cited non-violent Ameri
can fans as a reason for the break-up,
at the height of the band’s American
; popularity.
I The University of Nebraska-Lincoln 0
Cornhusker Marching Band I
FLAG CORPS
AUDITIONS
April 4, 5 and 6,1989
7:00 p.m. to 9:00 p.m.
Devaney Sports Center
Indoor Track Arena
* No previous experience required - you’ll be taught all you need to know for tilt
audition.
* All positions are open — veteran corps members must re-audition.
* If you have a conflict, contact the Band Office at 402-472-2505, or instructor
Katy Coleman at 402-643-6451.
* Dress for movement and wear tennis shoes.
* Equipment will be provided, but bring a pike if you have one.
•The University of Nebraska-Lincoln docs not discriminate in its academic, admissions,
or employment programs and abides by all federal regulations pertaining to same.
Be a part of the Marching Red!
Guyana
bodies
back
May 2,1979
Oakland, Calif. - The bodies of
nearly 300 People Temple members,
who left the Bay Area to find paradise
in the jungle, began arriving from the
East Tuesday, borne in stacked steel
coffins inside huge moving vans.
The first of five 44-foot-long vans
pulled up to the Oakland Army Base
mortuary at 6:28 a.m. The bodies
were taken last week from Dover,
Del. where they had lain unclaimed
for five months.
Army employees began lifting the
steel coffins, wrapped in cardboard
and tied with twine, onto a loading
dock at the mortuary. As three mili
tary ivdii’ornon ctrwl nr»arhv a
bright, yellow fork lift truck then
carried the coffins into the 32-year
old warehouse, one of two Army
mortuaries in the country.
Stamped on the side of the card
board wrappings in big green letters
was “HANDLE WITH EXTREME
CARE.’’ Three of the trucks were
expected to arrive Tuesday, with two
more due Wednesday. All took dif
ferent, secret routes across the nation
to discourage publicity. A sixth van,
carrying 46 bodies, was to arrive
Tuesday at Fort McArthur near Los
Angeles.
W Tlfc. T”W
UNL Iranian students 1
agree with takeover 1
Nov. 8,1979
By Wayde Wrich
Iran’s wishes to have the Shah
returned to Iran for crimes against
the state has the backing of three
Iranian students at UNL.
The three students who wish to
remain anonymous and the claim
of the Shah’s illness doesn’t have
anything to do with the crimes he
committed while in Iran.
A group of Iranian students
have taken over the U.S. Embassy
in Tehran and arc holding about 60
U.S. citizens hostage demanding
the return of the Shah.
Shah, but the U.S. State Depart
ment has denied the request.
Iran has requested that one of
their own doctors examine the
Shah, but the State Department has
denied the request.
The three students who wish tc
remain anonymous said the claim
of the Shah’s illness doesn’t have
anything to do with the crimes he
committed while in Iran.
The students holding the 60
American hostages threatened to
kill them if the U.S. government
attempts to rescue them.
In a broadcast message the
demonstrators said, “Any military
or non-military attempt by the U.S
or us agents in Iran to free the
American spies held as hostages in
their embassy will cause their
immediate execution.
When asked about this, one of
the UNL Iranian students said the
take over of the embassy was just
an attempt to get the Shah back.
“If it comes down to it, I don’t
think they will kill the hostages,”
he said.
The student said the takeover
was just part of the game. ‘ ‘ It was
just propaganda. In a week or so
they will release the hostagesand it
will all be forgotten,” he said.
The students said the recent
icm£ii<uhjii ui runic ivnnisicr
Medhi Bazargan was because of
the inner turmoil of the Iranian
leadership.
‘‘The Iranian Council is made
up of many different classes of
people and the Prime Minister is
from a higher class, so he had
trouble agreeing with the coun
cil,” they said.
Hassan Tabatabai, an official of
the premier’s office in Tehran said
Bazargan resigned because of
Khomeini’s escalating anti
American campaign.
Tehran radio said Wednesday
that Khomeini will not receive two
special envoys sent by President
~ See IRAN on VI
m
urNJL veterans: Vietnam no worse oris
after surrender to Communist Norths
May 1,1975
8y Martha Bohling and Randy
Wright
South Vietnam has surrendered,
but the South Vietnamese arc no
worse off for it, according to five
UNL student veterans.
The five discussed their attitudes
on U.S. involvement in the war in
interviews Monday.
Bruce Drake, 25, a junior in indus
trial education, said he’s certain the
country will fall but said he believes
it’s too late for the United States to at
tempt any further involvement.
“At least under Communist rule
they’ll be happy,” Drake said.
“They couldn’t function under a
democracy. They’ve been under a
kingship too long.”
Wasted Efforts
“It’s ridiculous to waste our ef
forts when it’s their country and
they’re not good enough to defend
it,” said junior Ken Chambers, 25.
“If we let them alone, they’ll get
along fine, no matter who they’re
under,” he said.
President Thieu’s resignation
brought mixed reactions from the
veterans.
Gary Bose, a 25-year-old sopho
more, said the resignation was a loss
for the South Vietnamese.
‘‘He was the only source of inspi
ration the people had,” he said. ‘‘As
long as they had some kind of leader,
they were okay.”
Should have resigned
Thicu “should have resigned a
long lime ago,’ ’ said Brendan Moore.
Paul Vavra, who served for a year in
Vietnam beginning in 1968, added,
“Most people outside Saigon didn’t
even know who the president was.’’
Perhaps the most frustrating part
of the fighting, according to Cham
bers, was the “red tape” the men had
to go through to shoot the enemy.
He recalled one time when a guard
at his base, on duty at the perimeter,
reported suspicious noises outside
the barbed wire to his commanding
officer, who reported them to Cham
bers. When Chambers went to the
lieutenant to ask for instructions, he
was told it was “nrnhHhl v invi ral« "
The next thing they knew, he said,
the base had been overrun by North
Vietnamese. Drake said he saw men
killed because of similar circum
stances.
Four deaths
He remembers a U.S. troop that
was pinned down 500 feet north of the
demilitarized zone. They needed
permission to fire north of the line,
and in the 10 minutes it look to get
that permission, four men died.
All five veterans agreed that U.S.
reinvolvement in the war would be
senseless.
‘‘If they’d continued fighting in
’72 it would have been okay,” Drake
said, ‘‘but now we’d have to recon
quer North and South Vietnam.”
Bose said he would not favor fur
ther aid to South Vietnam, adding
that the lime he served was ‘‘a com*
plcic waste and inconvenience on my*
part.” ;
Vavra and Chambers, who wer*
often fighting with the South Viet*
namese, said they were not surprise*
that the country fell without U.S. aid*
Viets ‘lazy’ .
Chambers said the South Viet*
namese troops would often shoo*
rounds of ammunition just to make i*
look like they were doing something!
“It’s not the equipment tha*
makes the army,” Vavra said, an*
added that the South Victnamcs*
troops often appeared lazy and disin!
tcrcstcd in the war. . I
‘‘In their opinion we’re lettm!
them down,” Chambers said, bui
we busted our ass helping them.
Tkn ihn Cnilfh Vict*
namcsc was evident when the evacu
ation planes sent to carr> women an(
children away from Saigon camv
back full of men, Vavra said.
Chambers said the children have
the most to lose by the war, and re
called three- and four-year-olds who
took on American habits, flashing me
peace sign and scrounging for ciga
rettes.
He said many GIs believed the
condition under which the children
grew up was the United States’ fault
Bose said he had seen no inhu
mane treatment or massacres of civil
ians, but Drake said he had.
‘‘I was the talker for a spotter lor
naval gunfire,” he said, “and several
times we were to fire and were halted
due to civilians in the area.”
